Ensemble
by Zoey Overbeck
Summary: "Together", in French. It's 1482, and Lord Xavier rules over Lyokonis from his castle in Digitropolis with an iron fist. The same night he steals one of the swords of power, one of the five to challenge him arises. Rated T for violence later in the story.
1. Chapter the First

A/N: Welcome everyone, to the "secret" fanfic I have been scheming for so long now… This takes place around the year 1500 C.E., and I have formulated the idea while RPing. I made this while I was on a writer's block for A.S.O.U.A., because I couldn't think of what to write next. Everyone is a human, so there is no confusion on whether Lord Xavier (XANA) is a human or not. William is mentioned in the story, but I did not really add him, because he didn't for much for the Lyoko Warriors, as he was under control by XANA for months. There are only 2 regions here, Lyokonis and Digitropolis, as I did not feel the need to include the "real" world. Now, on with the …

Aelita: Hold on!

Me: What now!

A: You're forgetting something…

Me: Fine… *sighs* I do not own Code Lyoko. It belongs to Moonscoop and the creators. If I did own Code Lyoko, then I would have changed things around a bit… *XANAfied laugh* Trés bien!

A: uh oh… *runs away*

--

Chapter 1

Lyokonis, 1482 C.E.

A dark figure wearing a black hooded cloak rode swiftly though the night, and then dismounted his black-colored stallion, landing on the ground that was soft with the recent rain, and entered a stone building that was hidden in the shadows, ignored by everyone except the shadiest types. He entered the nearly-broken down building, and glared at the old, withered man standing there. He then turned his gaze upon the long, gleaming, single-handed double-edged silver hilted sword that lay on the table.

It was Dark Daze, one of the 6 most powerful and terrible sword the sword maker had ever made. She had crafted it with precision, and had explored every detail about the swords, being careful about everything she did with them. How the old man had attained one of the legendary swords was mind boggling to him. No matter, it was now his, and the old man was too feeble to do anything about it. He thought of silencing the man right now, in his hut, but decided against it, as the man did not know who he was. Instead, he attached the sword's sheath that was lying beside the sword to his belt, and then sheathed the sword itself, striding out of the building, mounting his horse, and heading back to Digitropolis.

His castle in Digitropolis was massive, and it was well structured to defend from all attacks, and to successfully give retaliation and fire power to his sides. He had designed it himself, and had tested it multiple times with battalions of his soldiers, constantly improving it and updating it. Lord Xavier dismounted his horse and strode to the uppermost part of the castle, his hand holding the grip of the blade's hilt, the energy from Dark Daze flowing into his hand, connecting with its master.

Once he was at the uppermost part of the castle that did not have any walls surrounding it, he unsheathed the blade, and held it up high with an outstretched right arm, letting the moonlight bathe the blade with a glow that seemed almost unnatural. The blade softly glowed in the moonlight before a black aura enveloped the blade itself, licking at the steel as if it was black fire- only missing the heat, and the occasional crackling and popping of the flames burning the object. Lord Xavier summoned some energy from his reserves deep inside his body, and transferred it to the sword, the purplish-black aura growing and flickering more frantically. Lord Xavier was impressed. So this was the sword he was destined for- possibly the strongest and most terrible of the other 5 swords.

With one diagonal slash of the sword, Lord Xavier discharged the energy was sent into the peasant village below, sending screams of anguish and surprise rising in the air. The energy had formed a white energy arc as it was released, in the shape of a crescent moon before striking the peasants' huts, sending gigantic plumes of dust into the air. The kickback from the discharge of energy didn't amount to much; it only created a slight wind from the arc as it sped towards its target that rippled Lord Xavier's cloak, blowing off the hood to reveal a dark-as-midnight hair with red streaks outlining them.

A satisfied smirk graced his lips, revealing the numerous, pure-white, sharp, fanged teeth he normally concealed. With another swish of his cloak, Lord Xavier had gone inside his domain, listening to the cries of the peasants below who lived in the village nearby his castle. How sweet of them to play a song for him, in Lyokonis, while he ruled over them in Digitropolis.

--

A woman was in pain as her time was coming. An old midwife brushed back the woman's long, harried pink hair, and applied a wet cloth to her forehead, helping the woman through this difficult time. The woman gave a loud yell as the pain intensified, and struggled to remain conscious. After what seemed like endless hours, the woman gave a loud yell, and then stopped as suddenly as she had came, as the pains had stopped, and she was now gasping and trying to reclaim the air that her burning lungs desperately needed.

The midwife reached down, and wrapped something in blankets before handing it to the weak woman's outstretched arms. It was now three-fifty in the morning, as Antea finally calmed down enough to peek at her baby. It was a she, and her hair was her (Antea's) color, but it was mussed up just like her (Antea's) husband's hair. She had pale green eyes, and as she struggled to open them, she gave a loud cry before Antea calmed her down by gently rocking her side to side.

A man with mussed, gray hair and spectacles gazed at his wife and newborn daughter adoringly. Waldo had wandered around their home, the Palace of Lyokonis for says on end, worrying about their conditions, and if Antea was going to make it out alright. Antea, feeling the presence of another person, turned to Waldo, and asked the question of what they were going to name her. Waldo, closed his eyes tightly and racked his brains before opening his eyes again and answering, "Aelita".

"Aelita", the young Antea answered. "I think that is a wonderful name for our daughter" she said as she looked at Aelita, who was now sucking her thumb, eyes closed, and a content expression on her face. Waldo solemnly nodded. "You know what this means, though" he said as he brought a long, double edged sword to Antea. "You know that she is one of the destined, as it was foretold by our ancestors that a girl will bring honor to the Schaeffer crest". Antea nodded as she cradled Aelita in her arms, and sang a slow lullaby to keep her (Aelita) asleep for the time being. Slowly, she placed the bundle in Waldo's arms as she painfully got up and replaced the sword back into its case that held it, pondering on the things to come.

--

A/N. So… anyone got any ideas for "A Shadow On Us All"? I keep on forgetting to put the disclaimer in my stories, so I hired Aelita to remind me. I only do it once, though, because I figured people are smart enough to know who CL belongs to.

~Commando Wolf


	2. Chapter the Second

Me: Okay, I tried to stick with the happenings that were actually occurring at the time, so forgive me if I am off a little bit. Ulrich, which is another way to spell Ulric, means "Wolf Power". Uh… okay, disclaimer is done, and I shall now commence the…

Ael: What about the way you-

Me: Yes, I use some old English in here. You may now laugh when I use the word "saucy", because it means impetuous… or something like that. I blame Shakespeare.

Ael: And about the…

Me: Not now! In later chapters!

--

Chapter the Second

14 years later…

May the Eighteenth, 1496 C.E.

A pair of dark green eyes focused intently on the target. It was a tree, with a circular piece of wood that was painted in a deformed bulls-eye, with four "legs" sticking out at angles, three at the bottom of the bulls-eye and one going straight up on the top if the bulls-eye. Making the bow line taught, she pulled the bowstring back before letting the arrow sail through the air and landing it directly in the center of the bulls-eye. Giving one satisfied smile, Aelita strode to the arrow and gently pulled it out of the target before putting the arrow back into her quiver. The last few years of her life were about the same, boring routine about sword fighting and using bows and arrows, and learning about all sorts of weapons, such as the mace and the morning star.

Yawning, she walked over to a nearby lake, taking off the boots and letting the water cool off her exhausted feet. She had been standing all day practicing her arrow shooting for what felt like the billionth time this month. She felt her hand move subconsciously to Watercress, a blue tinged double-edged sword that was given to her shortly after her ninth birthday. Ever since then, she had been fascinated with it, obsessing over its beauty and the way that it was made. Ever since she had it in her sheath, she always felt drawn to the water, as if it had some strong magnetic pull opposite to hers.

Aelita took the time to examine her reflection in the still waters of the lake. It had been 14 years, and she had grown quite considerably in her knowledge and wisdom. Although she was not allowed to read books or attend school because of her gender, Aelita had "borrowed" some books from where the boys were taught, teaching herself to read and write in secret. Ever since then, she was always hungry for information, pouring over the books and "devouring" one after another. When she was done with the books, she learned how to stealthily replace the books back on the shelves where they were stored, without being caught.

Aelita blinked, and looked closer to the lake water, hungrily searching for the essence deep inside her, the essence that the books stated that there was a spiritual self in people. She was discouraged that she could not see it yet, and no matter how she tried, she could not see her inner self. Several strands of long, unusually colored pink hair brushed against her cheek. She brushed them back, and absentmindedly stroked it while thinking.

Her ears picked up a sound of something scurrying in the vegetation up ahead. She focused her eyes, catching the brown cloth that flicked as the figure turned and ran back in the other direction. Aelita gave a wry smile. It was probably the nice boy who liked her, but was afraid to say anything about it. Jeremiah Belpois… or what he liked to call himself, Jeremie. Aelita was nicknamed the Elfin Princess of the Forest, as she could hear just about anything, see things clearly both near and far away, and could shoot a bow and arrow precisely. Aelita let these thoughts flow over her as the pond water slowly went by, and then she pulled her feet out of the water, put her boots back on, and went back home for the day. Perhaps she could unlock the secret of this mysterious blade.

--

Jeremie ran back all the way home. 'Had she seen me?' he thought to himself, immediately dismissing the thought as her nickname made its way back into his head. 'Yes, milady did saw me…' Over the rolling plains he flew, feeling the long grass underneath his bare feet. Sure, he could have worn the wrappings, but he chose not to, in order to be stealthy. He didn't mean to spy on her; he just wanted to watch the fishes in the lake, to see their shimmering scales as he would try to catch them. However, once he heard the familiar thwack of arrow against board, he became curious.

He had never really seen her using weapons for attacking and defending, and was very curious to see what she could do. Jeremie was very surprised at what he saw. Sure, he did see her practicing one time or another, but she was getting good at it. He thought of going up to her and asking on lessons, but decided not to, and just to get out of the situation quickly by running. So here he was, running over the plains, to get back to his home, which was coming up in a short distance. It wasn't exactly the home he lived in, as it was his mentor's house, but he thought he could call it home, as there was a home-y look to it, and not just weapons hung everywhere on the walls.

He found himself in the middle-sized building. It was not a large home, but just right for him. He went over to his family crest, which he had brought from the home he was in before he was forcibly taken to be a squire for a knight, becoming one in a few years himself. He looked over the sword his father had used in the many battles concerning Lyokonis. Recently, his father had came home as a defeated man; Lyokonis had fell to Digitropolis. The soldiers weren't to blame though, it was Lord Xavier with a powerful and mystical sword that caused many of the brave soldiers to fall. They had been revolting against Digitropolis, as a last counter attack to the tyranny of Lord Xavier, but they had failed miserably. Xavier would move his forces into Lyokonis to occupy their area and restore "peace" before setting out to conquer other lands and territories.

Jeremie went over to Dragon-breath, gazing over the red-tinted metal, which glinted in the sunlight that was pouring through the open window. Slowly, carefully, he picked up the sword by its hilt, and laid it on his hand with the dull part of the blade. His father always said that he would inherit it someday, and now was the time that he was going to own it. Jeremie had been serving as a squire to a knight for years. In just two more mere years, he would be knighted into either the army of the Schaeffers or to Lord Xavier's forces. Jeremie surely did not want to become part of Lord Xavier's army. Just the thought of it made him wish he could battle against him even more and take back the lands which were rightfully theirs.

Jeremie went to his quarters, still holding the sword gently, but firmly, got a rag and started polishing the sword and the armor from his knight mentor. In the morrow, his mentor would joust with another knight, and they would battle to see who had the quicker wits than the other. Looking at the now brightly shining metal before him, Jeremie let out a deep sign before placing the armor on its stand in his room, all the while thinking of his father. His father had been drafted into Lord Xavier's forces right after his defeat, and could not pass down the sword to him personally. Jeremie gripped the sword tighter, and felt it warm up in response, and the red tint of the sword got brighter- a peculiar thing to do for a seemingly normal blade. Shrugging it off, he placed the blade onto its mounted stand on the wall of his living quarters. Once his hand left the sword, the tint slowly faded to the red it was before Jeremie touched it. Jeremie scratched his head, and thought that the Gods were playing tricks on his mind again.

--

"Odysseus! Odysseus! Where art thou, thou saucy knave?" William was calling from the second floor of Lyokonis's tavern.

"Coming, Sir Dunbar" Odysseus called sarcastically from above.

William rolled his eyes. He knew that the only reason Odysseus agreed to work here was for the golden coins to support his family, and not to actually work. If the kid would actually work, then he would actually get paid more. William glanced over his swarm of customers, all hanging out in one part of the tavern, or another. There was one person whom William noticed easily. It was Ulrich Wolves-bane Stern, a master at swordplay and battling against those twice his size- if they had severely annoyed him, of course. He was never known to attack an innocent person, who had only just bumped into him a little. William could almost compare with the guy. It was like being alone in a sea of fishes while the waters of life rush by you, barely touching you as the stones of circumstances were cast into the ever-flowing water.

THUMP!

Odysseus sprang from the last of the stone steps onto the ground, straightening up and raising his hands above his head in mock triumph. William saw Ulrich shake his head, almost in disbelief, toss the amount that was due on the table, and hastily left the tavern. Odysseus looked at William, as he too, shook his head at him, and gave him a damp rag, so that he may clean off the messes left by the other customers.

Odysseus took it with a quick jerk, as if the rag was going to leap away at any moment, and began roughly swabbing the tables, which were no more than piles of wood stacked on top of each other to resemble something like a table. Odysseus muttered angrily about how he didn't get any excitement, and was forced to work in this dingy place for little pay, even though he had tried to work a little, and not throw down the towel, so to speak and leave the workplace in search of the adventure he had always craved.

Although he was sort of repelled by Ulrich's behavior toward life, in general, Odysseus could not help but admire his skills and undertaking of the world that he lived in, especially since Lord Xavier took over, it had made people's lives more difficult. Odysseus wanted to try and train under him someday, but whenever he seemed to get to him, Ulrich always seemed to disappear with a billow of his dark green, ankle-length hooded cloak. Odysseus had made his own hooded cloak too, in his spare time. It was not what people would call majestic, but it would suffice for the time being, until he could train under Ulrich.

Odysseus had heard of a tale of the six legendary swords, each holding a terrible power of their own. Odysseus dreamed of having one, as they each had a special ability to them, something that other, normal blades could not do. Noticing that he was wearing the wood out, Odysseus quickly pulled the rag up, and dunked it into a metal bucket of dirty, dishwasher-gray water before starting on the next table.

Soon, it was time for the few precious minutes he had for break, since he always seemed to be slacking in his work. Odysseus saw a familiar green cloak outside of the tavern, and saw its occupant moving down the street. Odysseus chased down the wearer, until he tugged on the cloak a little, not enough to jerk the hood off of the figure, but just enough so that the occupant knew that somebody wanted their attention. Silently, the figure turned around to look at the person who did that, but when Odd saw the occupant's face, he was discouraged. Instead of finding Ulrich, he had accidentally tugged on the hem of a cloak of a Lady.

The Lady saw him discouraged, and immediately help him, introducing herself as Lady Yumi, a traveler of all sorts. Odysseus, thinking quickly, told her that he was trying to find Ulrich Wolves-bane Stern, and needed help finding him. Yumi, recognizing the name, gently led Odysseus to a small, grey-stone building outside of the outskirts of the village. Hesitantly, Odysseus reached his hand up to knock, before hastily retracting it before his hand could hit the door. Yumi, who was watching him, gave him a strange look before knocking on the heavy wooden door, Odysseus wincing every time her knuckles hit the wood, for fear of the reaction he would get once Ulrich opened the door.

The door slightly opened, dark brown eyes shining dimly in the dark, looking at both of them before recognizing one, fully opening the door to receive both of them. Ulrich stared at Odysseus incredulously, all the while thinking what was he doing here, so far away from his home and workplace. Just before Ulrich could open his mouth, Odysseus spoke, desperation is his voice.

"I beseech thee, Ulrich of the woods, to train a humble peasant-lad such as myself. I seek adventure and your training!"

"Pray, thee, noble creature, what is your name?"

"Odysseus is what I go by, Sir, but you may call me Odd."

"Well, noble Odysseus let us embark on our journey of skills and wisdom together. I trust that you have met serene Yumi?"

"Yes sir, she is the one that guided me here."

"Very well, noble Odysseus. We shall embark on our journey on the morrow. You may take some bread before you depart home to tell the news to your people. I shall make the preparations for you here, and will start construction on a smaller hut adjacent to mines."

And Odysseus, with shining brown eyes declared

"Sir Ulrich, (I) pray thee that thou shall teach thee the finer skills of wielding a blade"

And Ulrich, bearing his sword of the Ages, proclaimed as he tapped Odysseus on the shoulder with the blunt of the sword

"I proclaim thee an apprentice to the craft of sword play. Odysseus, I shall teach you everything I know."

With this confirmation of his teaching, Odysseus went back to his home, skipping the rest of his day's work in favor of telling his family that he was about to embark on a quest, promising to visit often, and to pack what little belongings he had in a grain sack. He then went to his living quarter to rest, and to prepare for the journey he was about to undertake. Odysseus, however, could not rest, excitement pumping in his veins, and keeping his mind at work. He finally got to sleep a little after the stroke of midnight, dreaming of becoming the greatest warrior ever known in the land of Lyokonis.

--

Done, done, and done! Okay, maybe I have been reading too much Odysseus also, but I thought it was a good name for Odd, since it did sound like it had Odd in there. Anyway, I know I rushed through this, and the format looks weird towards the end, but I was experimenting with the format for this story with the format Homer uses for the Odyssey. "Athena, the owl-eyed Goddess replied…" and then her talking. Maybe this didn't go over too well, but I like it!

~Commando Wolf


	3. Chapter the Third

Chapter 3 is here! Rivendell is where J.R.R. Tolkien designated the place for Elves. So, in accordance with the names of places in that time period that the story takes place, Aelita being an elf-like person here, and her family living in a wooded part of the land, I decided to name it Rivendell as the providence (not sure if they had them back then), or the sector of Lyokonis. …maybe I should have named it Mirkwood instead? Yes, Lord of the Rings has gotten into my head. No, it can't or won't come out.

--

Chapter the Third

May the Twenty-first, 1496 C.E.

Rivendell, Lyokonis

Ulrich sighed in exasperation as his new pupil had totally missed the mark again, Lady Yumi still watching his progress. Though Odysseus or Odd rather, had been progressing in his skills, they still were mediocre, at best. Ulrich unsheathed his blade and showed Odd how to properly make a swift and clean cut on the wooden block placed a little ways away. Odd then nodded his head, realizing his fault, and sheathed his sword, a yellow-tinted dual blade sword that he had gotten from a strange person carrying swords a while ago.

Ulrich then suggested that they go on a field trip, to the Palace Gardens in Rivendell, behind the Schaeffer Palace, as it was about the time when the flowers were blooming and giving off a sweet-smelling scent that was clear in the air as the gentle winds circulated it through the land. The Palace Gardens were open to any person in the land, just as long as they didn't cause harm to the countless specimens of plants and animals that were there.

Mounting his horse with Lady Yumi behind him, Ulrich signaled to Odd, who mounted on his horse and followed Ulrich as they raced to get to the Palace Gardens first. This time, Odd won because Ulrich had another rider with him, and had to take care that his passenger won't fall off as they were riding through the hills and grassy plains.

The grass underneath them softly crunched under their covered feet. Ulrich entered through the beautifully designed metal gates, and led the horses to a small pond that was near the entrance, bringing Lady Yumi and Odd with him. As they took in the sights of the Palace Garden, Ulrich sat down on the grass, relaxing. However, a loud metal 'clink' followed by more metal clinks and cries prompted him to jump up.

"Come, Odysseus and Lady Yumi! There's trouble nearby!" Ulrich yelled to them, drawing his silver double-edged sword.

Both of them sprung up quickly, And with that, all three drew their blades, and all three of them ran towards the source, a gated area that was mostly secluded from the rest of the gardens- the metal clinking and yelling growling louder with every second in the Training Grounds. All three of them stopped before they could open the gates, surprise written all over their faces as they watched, their jaws threatening to drop completely from the scene which unfolded before them…

--

Aelita notched another arrow, and sent it flying into the target about 50 yards away. The deformed bulls-eye was covered in arrows, Aelita continually shooting a stream of them into her hated enemy's insignia. Reaching behind her to her quiver, she found that it was empty of all its arrows. Aelita sighed, and walked over to the target, gently but firmly tugging the arrows out of the covered wooden board, replacing it into her quiver, then moving the target back a few yards, and aiming again for the bulls-eye when she had returned to the same spot she had been in moments before.

Was it really true that she was probably the only warrior princess ever mentioned? Maybe. It was her father's suggestion that she took up learning how to fire bows and arrows, as well as learning how to use other weapons such as blades and morning-stars, and other assorted weapons generally reserved for the knights. Truthfully, Aelita did like archery from the oak-wood composite bow she now held in her hands, but she liked her sword better. They called it Watercress, and true to its name, there were tinges of blues to it, as if they were forming an intricate design of some sort- like a waterfall cascading down to the rocks below.

Getting bored of archery after a while, Aelita plucked the arrows from the target, putting them back in the quiver before sitting near a big rock, resting for a while. Taking out a poorly bound book that contained the handwritten notes that made up the book, Aelita opened it to where she had left off. With the invention of the printing press, it was easier to discern the words than if written by hand, and it was easier to make, and not as time consuming. Yawning, Aelita started reading the book, her eyes traveling down the lines of ink to jump back up to the top of the page after she had turned it, laying her head against the rock as she read along, great tales of battle being told by the authors. Unbeknownst to her, there were several people watching her this very moment…

--

Waldo Schaeffer III looked out the window, seeing his daughter train, all the while pondering on his actions. 'Was it really necessary that she learned how to fight by her own?' he asked himself. Waldo could not stop thinking over his action, and if they were justified or not. Seeing arrow after arrow fly through the air to land on Xavier's target was enough for him to know that she truly hated him- how she truly hated her brother for what he had done in the past, and what he was doing right now. Waldo sighed and continued watching as she jerked the arrows right out of the target, hastily putting them back in her quiver. He was about to turn away when something she brought out of the work knapsack-like bag attracted his attention.

It was a book, and on closer inspection, it was a collection of stories that contained legendary battles that warriors and their leaders have fought. Waldo raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised to find that he had not known all this time that his daughter could read- in the time that girls were not allowed to be schooled, and allowed only minimal knowledge, only learning about housework and how to take care of the family.

Her blade that he had given to her a while ago was in its sheath, the gold and silver hilt glinting in the sun, all the while giving it a sense to others that it was a dangerous tool. It was, in fact, more dangerous than other, regular blades, but Waldo did not tell her the secret of the legendary blades, for fear of what was going to happen, as it, Watercress, was known to have been powerful and feared in combat. Waldo looked behind him as Antea gave him a cup of sweet, dark liquid that soothed his worries.

Antea too, watched her daughter, not at all surprised when she saw she was reading. She had found out that she had learned how to read years ago, and how she loved knowledge, sneakily taking the books at where the boys were taught, and out from the library, always stealthily replacing them before anyone really noticed. Antea smiled as Aelita brushed away the long strands of pink hair that was softly blowing in the wind. Turning away, she gave her husband a nod before leaving him to ponder over if it really was necessary to have her combat trained.

--

Another person was too, watching Aelita as she read on, oblivious to the world around her except for the world that was contained within the books, the numerous battles against the enemies that were alike and different in every way interesting her as mental pictures of the battles flooded her mind. Unlike her father and her mother, however, this person did not have good intentions for her.

Scowling at what the wizard's looking glass was portraying him within the realm that she had her family had lived in, Xavier frowned at the thought of being beaten by his little sister. The only reason he had let her and her worthless family live was because he could see there was a stream of power that flowed within the Schaeffer family's blood line, a sense of power that was unique to the others. There was potential in them, Xavier saw, and he could put that to good use- that is… after he 'persuaded' them to do his bidding.

Looking closer and seeing his sister shooting arrow after arrow into his insignia, Xavier felt it was safe to make the understatement that she had really hated him for the relentless attacks he had made on the people, and the successful invasion of Lyokonis. Aelita and her family would be very difficult to bend to his will, unlike the feeble old wizard that served under him now.

It was a simple matter, to trick the wizard into going to a secluded spot before taking control of his mind and body. Shortly after the acquaintance that he had with him years ago, Xavier had made the wizard give him great power, Xavier becoming a lot like a wizard himself- though more powerful due to the darkness he had, increasing the power as the rage in his veins poured out to smite the people that were below him in power and rank.

She, his little sister, was gaining power in a slow, but increasing rate. Soon, she would find out the secret of the blade that was attached to the leather belt-like attachment on her outfit. Xavier knew by the foretelling of one of his seers, that she would eventually defeat him with four other people, each holding the legendary blades that he sought to steal from them, knowing that they could not triumph over him without them.

Unfortunately, Xavier had no idea where the other four blades where, and Watercress was protected from him until Aelita was physically and mentally strong in being able to wield it without any repercussions. Xavier growled, looking closer into the mirror after being momentarily distracted by his thoughts.

'So, she reads books on battles…' he thought. 'She was, no doubt learning different combat strategies from the people that actually were in the fights'. No matter, soon there were not going to be any books that he did not allow in his kingdom. Soon, there were not going to be any books on the war and battle strategies, and he could finally conquer the rest of the land in the puny lands nearby, and then take to the sea, ruling over lands that were far away.

Smirking to himself, Xavier called up one of the generals in his army, a gaunt man grizzled with the years of fighting.

"See those three?" Xavier said to him once the general arrived, pointing the mirror, which now showed Antea, Waldo, and Aelita. "I want you to capture them and bring them here, but keep them alive. I don't want them, dead, or your head will be separated from your body! Do I make myself clear!?" Xavier continued.

"Crystal clear" the General replied, his growl in anticipation of the raid mixing with his harsh laughter. "Crystal clear my Lord…"

With that, the general immediately left to Xavier's army's quarters. Summoning the best and the most silent of them, he rallied them, and they swiftly left on horseback for Rivendell, their midnight-black horses racing towards their destination, the warriors holding up their sharp weapons that were glinting in the bright sunlight.

--

Author's note: Female rulers did have a role in history, in actually fighting in battles. Just look up… Yes, printing presses were at the time. Otherwise, how did the Renaissance (or any other Revolution for the matter) come to spread? And yes, Xavier is technically a Lord and Ruler.

I did make Aelita have long hair, because I like long hair- having long hair for a long time. Are you catching on to the idea of the blades? No, they're not color coded just to be unique- the intricate designs on the hilt and blade are enough. I think you'll find the mystery of the other 5 blades (not Xavier's/XANA's, you know of its power) quite intriguing… I think. Ooh, I'm an evil person leaving people with cliffhangers. Well… why are you hanging from a cliff then? Get onto solid land already, and I don't mean letting go and falling down hundreds of feet below.


	4. Chapter IV

Note: I forgot to say that the female Ruler warrior I mentioned in the author's note for the previous chapter was Queen Isabella. At least, I think she is. I think she married a man named Ferdinand II of Aragon. **I apologize for jumping back and forth**, but it is on different perspectives, and so I must- even if I have to confuse the reader by going to one event, and going back in time to explain the event better, and then springing forward again. The Odyssey does this a lot too, and it completely confuses the reader. It's its fault that I'm doing it in this template. Plus, it makes things more interesting, depending on how you look at it, but I'll have to use it lesser if people say they don't like it.

--

Chapter the Fourth

May the Twenty-first, 1496 C.E.

Rivendell, Lyokonis

Aelita rested against the rock, putting down the book beside her, closing her eyes and letting out a soft sigh. Her left ear twitched, and Aelita thought she heard something, but dismissed it, continuing to rest against the rock. Suddenly a black gloved hand covered her mouth, causing her eyes to open suddenly, finding a blade that was clenched by another black gloved hand at her throat, causing her to struggle in an attempt to be free.

"Now… just come along with us, and there won't be any trouble" a haughty voice whispered in one of her ears.

Aelita stopped struggling for a moment, as if thinking it over, all the while slowly opening her mouth. The next thing the General knew, a sharp set of teeth clamped down on his hand that was on her mouth, causing him to nearly yell out loud in pain. With a powerful elbow thrust backwards against his Solar Plexus, causing him to drop the blade and stumble backwards in pain, letting her go. Aelita leapt back up expertly back onto her feet, and quickly drew her blade.

"I don't think so" she snapped back.

--

Waldo heard the commotion outside, and rushed to the nearby window that was closest to the battle scene and seeing the scene, grinned as his mental battle ceased. He continued watching, but was ready to summon help, if needed, though he seriously doubted that the help would be necessary.

--

"Have it your way then, Princess" the attacker replied, drawing out one of his curved blades that was discolored to a rusty reddish-brown color, which was unlike his other one which was clean throughout, because it was not cleaned in a long time. "Soldiers! Attack!" he yelled out to the soldiers that were hidden around the area.

The hidden warriors jumped out from the foliage around them, being disguised to look like the terrain around them. Each of them drew their fearsome weapons, growling fiercely in anticipation.

"Come on boys" Aelita taunted "make my day" before she dew out Watercress and held it at the ready, giving them a cheeky smirk as she swung it back and charged, yelling a battle cry to the heavens above.

--

"What is going on…?" Ulrich started to say as he saw the scene unfold before him.

Princess Aelita was charging at the oncoming soldiers, going onto a 9 versus 1 battle against each other, the odds not looking good for the sole fighter. However, she surprised them by leaping over the opponents, sailing gracefully through the air, before landing behind one of the soldiers and giving him a quick slash, only to find that the soldier had skillfully moved out of the way.

"The members of the Elite. I should have known" Ulrich heard her growl before she gave a little chuckle to herself before muttering "Well, I always wanted a good challenge. Let's see how they play…"

With that, Aelita dodged a swipe made at her leg before giving them a swipe of her own, managing to hit the soldier's helmet so hard that the soldier reeled backwards a few feet in pain before attacking again moments later.

--

"Alright, enough horseplay" the General yelled. "This ends now!"

"Oh, really? Gosh, I was just getting started" Aelita said sarcastically as the warriors and the general lined up horizontally facing her with their weapons beared.

Feeling much like a warrior, Aelita ran towards them as they charged towards her, equally determined to knock the other out. They were gaining speed as they ran, intently focused on each other, clutching their blades as they were on a collision course…

"Yaaahaaa!" Aelita yelled as she tacked one on her side, knocking him to the ground before charging the others.

"This Lady's mad!" one declared.

"Stay still!" the General growled, ready to do a massive downward strike.

"One, two, three! You can't catch me!" Aelita yelled, hitting one on the head with the blunt side of the sword, Watercress making a dull 'THUNK' noise as it hit.

"Yargh!" The General said as he tackled her to the ground. "Aren't so tough now, are ye?"

"That's what you think" she grunted in response before picking him up, and tossing him easily to the side.

"Uhm… should we help her?" she heard a voice say as she continued battling them.

"No," she heard another say as she knocked another to the ground so that he was bowling around in his armor, unable to get up quickly due to the armor's weight. "I think she's got it covered".

Angered by the mounting frustrations of what is supposedly an easy task, the General got all his warriors together by discussing a play. They would charge in a straight line like they had the first time, but they would stay together no matter what, and crowd en masse until the threat was eliminated. However, Aelita was catching on to their idea, and as she charged in pure rage that they still were trying to take her family away, and swung her sword, instead of her actual swipe, a large torrent of water came out from the side of her blade and pushed them back, surprising her, the soldiers, and the onlookers as well. Aelita, getting over her surprise, gave a devious smirk to them, and continued her torrential attack.

"Whoa!" she heard a young boy's voice yell out before the wave's side lightly pushed him to the side.

--

Thoughts ran through Odd's mind as he said "Whoa" in plain surprise. The watery attack soon ceased afterwards, leaving heavily sodden soldiers and a drenched General on the muddy ground far, far into the training grounds. Soon, after they had regained consciousness, they clambered to their feet after much slipping and sliding, and they managed to get onto their horses, some having to remount again as they had slipped off the first time.

"This isn't over… I'll be back…" the General said in between gasps before lightly hitting the horse in its side with his boot, causing the horse to start of in a fast gallop, the defeated soldiers following behind.

Aelita wiped off the mud and grime from her cloak before noticing them still by the gateway leading to the Palace Gardens.

"Uhm…. hi?" she said, leaving an awkward silence before Odd answered.

"…Wow…"

--

-Nighttime, around 8 PM-

"… you saw it, dad?" Aelita said uncertainly.

"I'd say seeing it is an understatement. Witnessing it, however, was unbelievable!" Waldo exclaimed, not bothering to really eat his food, instead waving around the leg of mutton around, clutching it tightly before setting it back down onto the plate in front of him.

"Father!" Aelita replied back "You're scaring the guests!" she continued, gesturing with a flourish of her hand to Lady Yumi, Ulrich, Odysseus, and Jeremie.  
"Nonsense!" Jeremie declared "I wanted to see it for myself!"

Aelita blushed as her hand held the blade's hilt, still in its sheath. It seemed like yesterday that training was a boring session of repetitiveness, but today, she had Xavier to thank for allowing her to unlock the hidden power within the blade.

"Well, I think I should tell you the legend… the most of it, however. Some of the inscriptions on the stone tablet made by Theodonnus are missing. I believe that they have been missing for quite a long time actually, for generations, in fact. I believe there was some meddling involved, and some of the missing pieces were more important than the rest. I do believe that the other side of our crest had done it."

"… Wha… what do you mean?" all the young ones asked, taken aback at the new piece of information.

King Schaeffer gave a long, weary sigh, massaging his forehead with his fingers. There would be a lot of explaining for him to do on his part, and for some of them, the information would be too much. There was a nagging at the back of his head that said that they should be withheld from the information, but King Waldo decided that it was about time for them to learn why Xavier wanted the rest of the family out of his way so badly.

"It all began with a schism, hundreds of years ago…" Waldo began, slightly leaning over the grand table as he spoke, swallowing every few seconds to get the words out. "There was division between our family on the question of nobility. The arguments on whether fighting evil was a necessary grew… and eventually our family divided into two sides- the noble side, and the not so noble side. The lesser noble side thought that if the lands fell under the rule of only one person, there would not be any fighting over the resources and the conquest of other lands. They thought that if they had united all the lands under one person, then they would be strong and would be able to crush any uprisings, meanwhile controlling the thoughts and persons with their strong, national army to keep everyone under control" Waldo said, taking a drink from his goblet after her spoke.

"So… so that means…" Odd started.

"Yes," King Schaeffer said as he wearily sighed once again, getting another drink before putting down the golden goblet down on the pine table with a 'clunk'. "I'm afraid that Lord Xavier is related to us… It's better not to dwell on these things…" the King said as he wiped his mouth with a cloth nearby on the table. "We should rest up, I'll tell the rest of the tale in the morrow. …May Thor grant that the night won't be riddled with his anger" he said, getting up from the table, the others doing likewise. "It's pretty dark outside, you can rest up here, since bandits are afoot at the time."  
"But, sire, I am a knave, and my master would be getting rather angry and would think I abandoned him" Jeremie protested.

King Schaeffer turned around and shook his head, indicating that his mentor had already been informed of him staying there, and headed off to the upper rooms. He then stopped for a moment, as if he had forgotten something, turned around and beckoned to Yumi with his hand. Yumi, a little nervous walked up to him and King Schaeffer whispered something to her ear before leaving for the upper floor. Yumi, nodding as he left, went to the store room, and came back a few moments later, holding a small, light brown dagger-like blade.

Looking at the questioning looks of her new friends, Yumi shrugged, muttering something about not having a weapon, and being given one for self-protection. Odd then boasted about how his blade was much larger, due to his large ego. Yumi, a little agitated, gripped the hilt harder before the blade extended with a 'pop' to as large as Odd's. Odd blinked, his jubilance withering away in his mouth before he closed it.

Grinning good naturedly, Yumi gave the blade a squeeze again before it retracted back into its dagger-like form, Yumi sheathing it in the leather sheath attached to her belt. With that show of power, the five friends nodded to each other before saying a chorus of mutterings of 'good night' and departing to their respective rooms upstairs, preparing for bed before falling into a dreamless slumber.

Meanwhile outside, as they slept, a lone figure prowled on the ground, sharp eyes on the lookout. Creeping to the edge of the moat, he took out a piece of rope with curved metal pieces, swinging it around and hooking it to the top of the castle. He expertly climbed up, and stepped onto the castle floor on the rooftop, slinking down the castle to around the drawbridge area. Seeing guards there, he smirked, and pulled a blade, silencing them before they could warn the castle of his presence. Finding the drawbridge mechanism, he slowly released the chains, which in turn let the drawbridge down slowly so that nobody else in the castle would notice. Several men dressed in black attire to fit better into the night silently filed in, each dividing into groups to capture the intended targets.

The leader of the team, who had let the rest of his team in, pulled off the cloth around his mouth. Giving a toothy grin to nobody in particular, he smirked as he watched the groups file of.

"I'm back" he said softly, tauntingly, before he went with a group, blending in with the shadows that were not lighted from the torch light.

--  
Note: Forks weren't really used back then… I doubt forks were in France at the time. If they were, people might have not used them at all, confused them for weapons of dueling (probably like the British… I think) or had speared their food with a fork, and then plucked it off and ate it anyway with their hands. Hey, the Renaissance did not spread to their area yet, and yes, I took some ideas from the VFD on the schism. Theodonnus = Theo, if you didn't know already. I also mentioned the Norse Gods… don't know if they were in France back then, but hey, it's worth a shot (That's why I said mentioned "Gods" earlier in the story). … I think I spelled Schaeffer wrong earlier in the story… *sighs* Action scenes are hard to write for me, though I can visualize them just fine…

If you are confused on what color the blades are… here we go, alphabetical order.

Aelita- Light Blue

Jeremie- Light Red

Odd- Light Yellow

Others- normal silver color

Ulrich- Light silver, almost white

Yumi- Light Brown

XANA- Dark Purple/Black combo


	5. Chapter V

Jeremie = Jeremiah, I alternate between the 'name' and 'nickname', until he tells them to call him Jeremie.

----

Chapter 5- Infiltration and Discovery

Rivendell, Lyokonis

May the twenty-second, 12:15 AM

The lone black clad soldier sneaked through the hallways of the large castle, navigating his way to the upper rooms. He soldiered on, forging ahead of his fellows, in order to scout out the area and find the targets all at once, so that they would not be so easily detected. He crept along the stone hallway, his back against the cold, gray, rock, and he came upon the first door.

Jamming his blade in the vertical space between the wooden door and the post, he slowly lifted the blade up, bringing a large, horizontal lock with it. Once the lock slowly rested back into the non-barricading position, the elite, black cloth clad soldier opened the door carefully, and entered, warily looking around the room as if the room's occupant would wake up at any moment. Sneaking closer to the room's occupant by stealthily moving across the floor, crouching low to the ground and blending in with the shadows, the soldier made his way across the room.

Although the soldier could not clearly see his target because of the dark obscuring veil around the bed, he could tell it was definitely a male. The soldier parted back the veil just a little bit so that he could see, and stifled a sound of excitement. There was a mass of gray hair, shining vibrantly in the moonlight, though the face was obscured as the sleeper was sleeping on his side. He slumbered on peacefully, not knowing what was going to happen, who were invading the castle, and why.

Slowly reaching to a bag on his belt, the soldier brought out the cloth bag that contained a light purple powder given to him by Lord Xavier himself. Lord Xavier had spent a lot of time making the complex mixture, often working days on it. When the powder was just right, he had stored it somewhere, for special purposes, and did not bring it out until now. The soldier now loosened the string on the bag securing it, and reached in with a hand, clenching it into a fist, and bringing out a fistful of the powder. Paying careful attention to the sleeper's breathing, the soldier slowly sprinkled the powder on his sleeping form, being careful to sprinkle his head with it the most.

The Grey haired male jerked a little, before stilling again. His breathing grew deeper, and the soldier, satisfied, made a noise not unlike a quick, sharp, whistle. Soft footsteps padded, gradually getting louder, and four more soldiers appeared, armed with ropes and pieces of long cloth. With a nod, the scouting soldier stepped backwards, letting the others tie his hands and feet together, cover his eyes with a long piece of cloth, and gagging him with another piece of cloth. That being done, the other soldiers slowly took him, being careful not to inhale any traces of the powder that might still be floating in the air, and left with him, the scouting soldier taking on another group of soldiers to the next target.

--

Jeremiah slowly made his way to Aelita's room with a candle, hoping to hear a story to inspire him to be a little bit braver when it came to battle. He cautiously made his way to her room, finding a small orange and yellow flickering light coming from it, concerned, her tried opening the door, only to find it was locked. Hesitantly knocking on the heavy wooden door, there was a slight scraping sound, and then the sound of feet shuffling that preceded a 'thunk' as the barricade was removed. The pink haired female looked at Jeremiah in surprise before beckoning him in, hesitantly shoving the book that she was reading under where she slept, hiding it from view before she replaced the wooden barrier back to its resting position to block the door from any intruders .

Jeremiah found a chair next to the mantle, and sat down, taking in the warmth of the fireplace, and taking care not to choke on the smoke coming into the room as it went to the open window to escape. Aelita sat down on a chair on the other side of him, being careful not to ruffle her ankle-length light pink nightgown. She crossed her legs, put her interlaced hands on her lap, and waited for him to speak, curious emerald eyes watching him.

"Er…" Jeremiah began slowly. "Princess Aelita?" he continued hesitantly.

"You may call me just by my name. After a while, the whole Royalty ideals bore me." Aelita said, waving her hand dismissingly. "But that's beside the point, Jeremiah of Mirkwood. What did you need that you have come so early in the morrow?"

"You can just call me Jeremie, none of that unnecessary title, like you said, minus the Royalty part. I came here to ask for tales to help my… er… bravery problem." Jeremie said, folding his arms also. "Er… might there be something that you could tell me… a story perhaps? Or is there a few pointers that you can lend me to help me get over my fear of fighting."

Aelita, waited for a while before taking the golden ring-like tiara that showed a difference between her and the others off her head, placing it on the table nearby, and walking over to her bedside. Easily finding the book under her bed, she brought it out and walked over to her chair again, taking a seat and flipping to the very beginning of the story- the Legends of the Destined. She saw Jeremie read the title of the book and look at her with a curious expression on his face.

"Legends of the Destined? … wait… You can read?" He asked, brushing away the golden locks of hair from his eyes with a single swipe. "I thought it was forbidden for girls to read and you're a…"  
"Yes, I'm a girl" Aelita responded, obviously amused. "It would be quite curious if there was a male with pink hair, I presume?"

"Yes, yes, it is a weird thought… erm… Aelita."

"Well, here it is… this is a fable of the family legend, I guess… some of the texts are missing from the story due to the age and it being weathered badly in the last few generations. I guess I'll have to fill you in, since my father was too tired to continue."  
"Yes, yes… er… go on…" Jeremie said, leaning forward to listen to the legend, curious to see if his blade was part of this craziness.

"Well… it all began a long time ago… Right in this meadow" Aelita started, gesturing out the window. "My bloodline used to wholly represent the lighter side of things. That is, until the day of the shadows…"  
"The day of the shadows?"

"Yes, it was when there was a schism between the family, a large debate on why they should waste their time and energy, and risk their lives, all to save other's lives as well. The spat soon grew more heated, and our family sort of… split into two from the schism. The question of nobility rose, and the evil-fighting side dwindled in numbers as the evil-causing side has slain them"

"So… so you're one of the last ones?" Jeremie asked, trying to make sense of the whole thing.

"Yes, this family you see here, this is part of the remaining forces of the evil-fighting side. We are scattered across the land in small numbers. I don't know about my extended family, if they are alive or not."  
"So… what about Lord Xavier?" Jeremie asked, fearful of the answer.

"Xavier… you wish to know about him?" Aelita said, shutting the book with a little more force than it was intended to. "You wish to know about his lineage?"  
"Y… yes…" Jeremie stuttered, caught off-guard by her sudden change in emotions.

"Well…" she said quietly, almost whispering it. "Xavier is my blood brother. My mother gave birth to him about twenty years before I was born. I don't know why he waited ten years to try to take over; he was probably too weak to do anything at the stage"

"Wow… talk about having sibling rivalry… your father probably doesn't know which child to worry about" Jeremie said half-jokingly.

"Well, I don't know why he's keeping us alive. Usually he would go on a bloody rampage right now."  
"Maybe he's a little nice…" Jeremie suggested  
"Xavier's never nice." Aelita cut in. "Both my parents stated he was a terror, even as a young boy."

"Well, then, we would have to see about how well he puts up a fight when we confront them, right, Aelita?"

Aelita was about to respond when a small 'thunk' caught her attention. She slowly got up and removed the wooden bar that was blocking the door. She opened it, and looked around, finding nobody in the stone corridor. Jeremie came up behind her, and he too, looked for anything that could be out of the ordinary- even though he had only been in this castle for a few hours. Aelita shrugged, and stepped aside to let Jeremie go off to his quarters. Jeremie, appreciating the kind gesture, nodded, and left for his room, leaving Aelita to re-block the door and quench the fire in the fireplace.  
--

"Has anyone seen my mother and father?" Aelita asked as she and the others breakfasted.  
"I did not see King Waldo, nor Queen Antea today, Princess" one of the maids said, wiping off the table.

"I think it's weird… it's almost sun high and they have not shown up… I better check on them…" Aelita said as she got up from the table and went upstairs to check on them.  
"More please!" Odd said, happily taking a loaf of bread when a maid presented it to him.

"Odysseus, you are like a bottomless pit!" Ulrich said as he watched the boy scarf down the food hungrily. "You do possess the appetite of a god…"  
"Well then, I _am _a god!" Odd said as he continued eating the bread.

"I was just making an allusion. You're still a mortal, though, we all are. So don't get any ideas of being high and mighty."

--

"Mom? Dad?" Aelita asked loudly as she wandered the hallways in search of her parents.

Aelita peeked into her father's chamber, not surprised when she saw the room was empty, and entered it. A light, musty scent wafted through the air, and entered her nostrils, immediately sparking her curiosity. She walked over to his bed, and noticed a faintly shimmering, light purple powder scattered across the sheets. She traced a finger across the sheets, and then brought the finger up, inspecting the powder.

The scent grew stronger as more of the scent entered through her nose. Fighting a sudden bought of sleepiness, she wiped the powder off her finger onto a clean spot on the bed, and felt the effects of the powder subside into a minor headache. Aelita shook herself fully awake and entered her mother's room, finding a larger amount of the same kind of powder scattered not only on her bed, but on the majority of the floor.

A small, silver object glinted on the floor, and Aelita picked it up, careful not to inhale the powder's scent that permeated the room. It was a dagger, and there was a rust-like coloring on the side and tip on the blade. The coloring was fresh, meaning that there was an attack here earlier, when people were asleep. Normally, the dagger was kept under their pillows so they could be battle ready if there was a sudden attack in their rooms at night, but what was the blade doing there on the floor? Aelita soon found the leather sheath, and wiped the blade clean of the rust-like coloring before sheathing it, bringing the small dagger and the cloth she used to wipe the blade downstairs for exhibition.

--

Emerald eyes opened to a world quite different from the world she was familiar to, the effects of the powder still affecting her mind and body. Her hearing seemed to be muted a little, as if every sound came from far away, through some device used for vocal magnification. Her vision was distorted so that she could not see clearly even a foot away from her, and everything around her was a gray blur. Her head hurt terribly, and she was sweating profusely for some reason, even though the room was cold as the icy region north of Rivendell. Her body seemed out of her control, one of her legs was shaking and the other was numb. Trying to relieve the sudden change in her body temperature, as well as get her vision, her body temperature, and her hearing back to normal, Antea slowly took large, slow breaths, controlling the urge to cheer when her senses slowly returned to normal, and her body temperature lowered to its normal temperature.

As her vision cleared, she realized that the walls and floors around her were a dull grey, the only light source was from a window-like structure ten feet above her that was outfitted with thick grey metal bars. Antea groaned at her predicament as she saw various devices of torture, the walls lined with horrific devices and the walls themselves covered in chains. It seemed like a gloomy outlook, but Antea still tried to find a way to escape, her brain processing multiple versions on how to escape her cell, getting quite upset when she saw her wrists and ankles were bound to the floor with heavy metal chains.

Antea heard voices outside the metal doorway, and it grew progressively louder until she was sure that they were outside of her cell. One of the voices seemed familiar, and very angry, while the other voice seemed smaller in comparison, as if the person was begging for his life. Antea did not bother to look still unconscious, even as the door opened with a loud squeak. Instead, she gazed at the two approaching figures, glaring at them as they made their way over to her.

"Hello, mother." The first figure said in a deep voice, kneeling down to look her directly in her eyes as she sat in a sitting position.  
"You're no son of mine, Xavier" Antea bitterly spat.

"Now, now, you forgot that I have a title…" said Xavier, leaning in closer in an attempt to scare her.

"Your title means nothing. You're no Lord, Xavier. You rule only by tyranny and by fear!" Antea practically shouted as she spat into a corner to affirm her statement, not being fazed by his threat display

"Xavier does sound a little nice… well then, you can call me XANA. It rolls off the tongue easier." Xavier said as he slowly backed up a bit, a little disappointed as his failure at intimidation.  
"I'm not going to call you anything" Antea said, turning away.

"Suit yourself. You can be out of here if you're on my less evil side… nah. I'll still keep you in here. You, along with your husband are my prisoners, and that means I can do whatever I want with you and daddy, even hold you captive and as hostages." Xavier said as he picked himself off of the floor.

"You better not come after them, you hear me! They will defeat you, you hear me!" she shouted, her voice falling on deaf ears as Xavier shut the door after his minion left the room, not listening to her angry voice as he walked away with his peon.

-----

Okay, the golden ring. Not so much of a crown. Why? I'm not going to be that unequal in classes. It's more like a little difference between the royals and the "commoners"- not having gigantic crowns or tiaras (they're overused). It's just a simple ring that fits their heads, with some designs on the top. Interchangeable for occasions, especially war- because fancy crowns can and will fall off during a horse ride. I'll put a picture up soon, I guess. I'll link it in my profile when I'm done, as links are deleted in fanfics. I show my feministic side in this fanfic…


	6. Chapter VI

Here, I believe I owe gratitude to the fellow fanfiction writers that have reviewed, favorited, and has subscribed/watched this story. Firstly, I would like to thank theoneWARrior for encouraging me to continue writing and reviewing my stories. Secondly, I would like to thank TheSovietWarMachine for also reviewing. Thirdly, I would like to thank A-QueenOfFairys, Almighty Tallest Angie, and HaHaHappiness for favoriting this story. Lastly, I would give all you peoples reading this story a big hand and a thank you. A picture of Aelita in this story is now featured on my profile on DA, though some have already seen it. Old English is used less in this chapter.

**Ensemble VI**

Schaeffer Castle  
Rivendell, Lyokonis

**May the Twenty-Second, 12:31 PM  
**

"You mean we have to actually go there?!" Jeremie yelled at the elderly seer.

"Yes, if you want to restore peace to the kingdom you must!" the seer snapped back. "I thought you were intelligent, but now I see that I am mistaken!"  
"Okay, okay" Jeremie said, calming down. "Just tell us the roads and places we must travel through. Digitropolis is full of places filled with dangerous pitfalls and obstacles."  
"True, true…" the seer said, calming down. "First, you must train to effectively use the elements. You all must train to unlock the fullest potential of the blades you wield, as they cannot be unlocked under normal means" the seer said, nodding towards the rest of the group. "Secondly, then, you will have to go on foot to the-" the seer was saying, before he got cut off by a figure that was as mysterious as the darker side of the moon, and almost as frightening as the monsters that people could imagine, who had let out a loud shriek that startled everyone in the room.

The thing them jumped down from the shadows of the castle room, and landed on the stone floor below, in front of the 6, thus letting them see it more clearly. The thing itself was large and quite muscular, but had an eerie white tinge to its skin color- a color much like phantoms might have. However, the skin seemed flaky and leathery, much like a dragon's skin would have. It was covered in layers and layers of dark clothing, and it had a black pendant with a silver eye of XANA imprinted on the rough metal. Half of its face was covered by the black hood it sported, with monstrous black bat wings protruding from a tear in its black and red cloak, sprouting from around its shoulder blades. Its feet were abnormally large and it had black claws at the end of the toes and fingers, which looked quite sharp and lethal, should the thing decide on its prey.

"I apologize for interrupting this… get together, but I have a message from my master" it said, in a surprisingly cool and silky voice.  
"Well, tell him we're not listening" Odd said, stepping forth with his blade drawn, baring his teeth to make his threat more pronounced.

"Shame," the thing said, not at all ruffled by the threat. "My master was hoping to get a word across before he annihilates you all." He said, looking at the five warriors and the elderly seer.  
"… what's the message…?" Aelita asked tiredly.

"Oh, it's nothing much, Princess." It said, leering at all of them. "He bids that you surrender by the next full moon, otherwise your mother and father would have to… ah, be executed."

"Leave them out of this!" Aelita snarled, getting ready to give this thing a piece of my mind.  
"I didn't drag them into this." it said in a bored manner before continuing. "You have several days. Make good use of them." It said, with a sneer before flying off through the stone window set high into the wall.

**May the Twenty-Ninth  
Birchwood Village, Lyokonis  
1:10 PM**

Ulrich wandered around the town, lazily patrolling for common criminals while searching for something that would try to help him unlock the true power of his blade. His blade, the supposed sword of the winds, was supposed to contain a power that was shared throughout the other five blades. The true power of the blades, along with the other five, was supposed to contain something that was special… something that could not be unlocked under normal circumstances… but how? How do you get something that's probably not there? It had already been a few days since the thing appeared and ominously told them Lord Xavier's message. As Ulrich mused on the current situation, he currently walked into someone that was walking in the opposite direction. Ulrich looked up, and knew who he was, and knew that this was probably not going to end on a good note.

"Watch it kid!" the man shouted in a gruff voice before looking down to inspect Ulrich, eyes widening. "Oh… hello… boy"  
"Hello to you… father" Ulrich responded curtly.

"Well, if you're still wandering the streets, I believe that you have grown into a fine peasant I remembered you as"  
"Hmph" was All Ulrich managed to say before he was interrupted.  
"I must say, Ulrich. You've done some pretty work on your sword mastery, but your skills are no match for Excelsior!" his father said as he shouted the last few words and flexed his muscles and stroked his beard as he did so, in order to make a point.

Ulrich muttered something incomprehensible in his murmurings of anger. He was always overshadowed by his father, who had served valiantly in King Schaeffer's army for the most amount of years, along with a few other people that had first signed up. His father was tall and muscular, and he liked to show off to other people and boast about his exploits and conquering of countries. He had never lost in a battle he was in, and when King Schaeffer's forces fell to Lord Xavier's, his father was away trying to conquer neighboring lands. He was always stuck-up in his behavior, and never let anyone humble him or hurt his pride- lest they would be subjected to his wrath.

"Just think, soon you'll be my equal… or not" his father laughed jubilantly at the thought, and walked away.

Ulrich said nothing, but watched as his brown-cloaked father strode out of his sight, his hand still on the blade as he continued laughing at his son's slow progress. Ulrich then sighed and continued on his quest back to the fields in Mirkwood forest to try and tap into the power of his blade. The meadow felt nice under his cloth covered feet, and as he removed the cloth to feel the soft growth under his toes, he could not help but to look up at the sky and wish that his father was kinder.

"Maybe if my father was kinder and had raised me himself, then I probably would have been what you wanted. Then again, I would not have gotten to know four friends…" Ulrich mused as he lay back on the earth and watched the clouds, slowly closing his eyes until sleep came upon his eyes, the peace filling him. However, it was not meant to last, as the thundering of hooves rushed toward him at a breakneck pace.

**Schaeffer Castle**

**Rivendell, Lyokonis  
12:50 PM**

"Jeremie, they are my parents! We have to!" Aelita argued.

"Out of the question!" Jeremie shouted after Aelita had spoken.

"Why not? They're bound to come after us anyway."  
"Well… well… alright… We'll bring Knight Ulrich, the squire, Odd and Lady Yumi with us, though…"  
"We'll have to split into two divisions. We can't risk having the army with us… we have to disguise them somewhere…"

Suddenly, Yumi came running through the castle as if wild beasts were after her. She pounded on the wooden door that Jeremie and Aelita were in, raggedly breathing as she tried to get air into her lungs. Opening the door, both of them shared equally confused looks before Yumi grabbed both of their arms, and without answering their questions on what was going on, she pulled them into another corner of the castle before stopping, her fatigue and lack of breath finally catching up to her.

"Lady Yumi… what's going on?" Jeremie inquired.  
"Run!" She responded in the little breath she had. "They're here!"  
"They… they…" Aelita said before realizing what she had meant and dashed to the armory.

Aelita had managed to snatch up her bow, her arrow filled quiver, and Water cress, still in its sheath, before Yumi pulled her to the stables outside on the castle grounds. Aelita got her arm freed from Yumi's grasp, and ran along with Jeremie, slinging the quiver onto her back and strapping the sword on, still clutching the bow as of her life depended on it. Finding the stallions wandering in the fields nearby, she let out a high-pitched whistle, and a white and golden horse trotted over to her. Aelita patted its head, and then mounted the horse in a single bound. Yumi ran to Ulrich's horse, as he was not here at the moment, and mounted it, pulling Jeremie along to ride with her, as his horse had been sent back to his master's house earlier in the morning.

A sharp yelling caught their attention, and they saw Odd bravely holding on his own before he was forced to mount his horse, and escape with the others. Aelita performed and about-face on her stallion, and notched her bow with an arrow, intent on getting the others to safety, or at least distracting their pursuers, who were now following them on horses that were as black as the night. She fired the arrow as they approached, hitting one in the chest and causing him to dismount his horse.

"Go, now! I'll hold them off!" She shouted at her friends, as they had stopped in order to try to assist her.

Without a single word, they understood, and they dashed away, the horses running quickly. Aelita kept firing bows, but stopped and left abruptly with her horse when she saw that Xavier had sent dozens after them. Aelita soon caught up to Yumi, Jeremie, and Odd, and they left for the Mirkwood forest. Spotting a familiar figure in the fields, they rushed towards it with intent to protect him.

**Mirkwood Forest**

**1: 15 AM**

Ulrich opened his eyes in a hurry before he was scooped up roughly by a familiar person with pink hair, and set upon a horse without the horse itself stopping. He noticed other familiar faces as they went into a heavily treed section of the forest, but did not ask what they were doing until they had stopped. Jeremie then explained as best as he could, while Yumi helped when he was stuck, or did not know about something until Yumi told them about it. Odd lead the three horses to a small meadow where they can roam, but not be seen until people wander far into the woods.

The rest of the group heard a sound of leaves being moved, and saw that Aelita had taken post on the top of a tree, in order to survey the land and act as a lookout, using her eyesight to scan the land, bow at the ready with an arrow already notched. She took off the small golden ring that served as a crown, and placed in a bag that was tied to her belt, tying the bag with rope several times in order to deter thieves. With the forest serving as a cover, Aelita saw the black-armored pursuers with their reinforcements and hounds stop at the edge of the meadow, confused on where their targets were. Aelita took the opportunity to scrawl a message on a piece of cloth that came from the excess of her bag with the juices of the wild berries nearby, and fire the piece of cloth with an arrow at their would-be pursuers.

The arrow landed in front of the pursuers' horses, startling their horses into rearing and nearly unseating their riders. Both sides took a reaction to this, Jeremie and the group fearing she gave up their position when she fired, and the pursuers thinking that someone was attacking them. However, their leader picked up the cloth stained with the berry-juice and plucked it from the arrow, reading the message as a grin slowly spread across his face. He then signaled to the rest of the soldiers, and they galloped back to Lord Xavier's castle, bringing the message along with him. Jeremie looked up at Aelita, who game a grim smile, and slide down from the tree, landing on the ground.

"They bought the bait." She said simply.  
"… What did you write… wait, you can write too?" Jeremie inquired.

"I just wrote a mock surrender note. Nothing big, just a plain note saying that I will voluntarily give my freedom up and will arrive in a few moons" Aelita explained.

"… and how long do we have until Xavier finds out that you have lied?"  
"Not long, though, so we have to gather our forces and attack when the moon fails to appear for the night, thus giving us an edge"  
"Then we head into Digitropolis!" Ulrich exclaimed.

"Correct," Aelita nodded. "Ulrich, you round up the remainder of my father's forces, Odd, you build a camp, seeing as you have lots of experience building homes whenever your family's home is destroyed. You'll also go with Ulrich tomorrow to rouse the spirits of the villagers as well, to gain their support. Jeremie, and Yumi, you're with me when we attack in a few nights. Ulrich, you'll go rouse the fighters and lead them to the outskirts of Digitropolis tomorrow."  
"Sounds like a battle plan to me." Ulrich said, nodding as he realized all the possibilities that flooded through his mind.

Lord Xavier sat in his throne in the throne room, gazing outside at the lands below as the thought of conquering more lands and expanding his empire. His thoughts were jarred as a wooden door slammed, a servant entering the room to deliver the message that the warriors have brought. He kneeled on one knee, and bowed his head in respect as a show of submission to a person of a higher power. Lord Xavier was then brought back to reality as he resumed his usual dark scowl and the tone of unpleasantness.

"What is it this time, worthless peon!?" he roared.

"My…my…my liege… the soldiers…they have…" the servant stuttered.  
"Have what?" Xavier shouted back. "Did they fulfill the mission I ordered them?" he said in a softer tone.  
"No, not in the way you wanted them to…" the servant said, but quickly continued when he saw Lord Xavier was about to explode from anger. "They brought back a message from the girl…"

At this, Xavier snatched the message from the servant's hand and he looked over it, his eyes darting as he grew more and more excited, his anger fading away temporarily to joy, an emotion he rarely felt or experienced.

"… I will surrender peacefully… come to terms… will arrive in a few moons… Princess Aelita… This is wonderful!" Xavier exclaimed at the last part. "So… she accepts defeat… well… find her and send an escort. I don't want any tricks" he ordered with a wave of his hand.  
"Yes, master…" the servant replied before getting up and leaving the room quickly.

-----  
I know Ulrich's father is a jerk, and that's why he is one here. You hate me for interrupting conversations with another situation and doing time jumps, don't you? Aelita really is a warrior princess here. :) Peon means servant (or slave).


	7. Chapter VII

**AN: **Not an expert on old English, so expect to see some errors. …I'll try to stop using the old English now- it's bothering me, and I think it's bothering you as well.

**-(-)-**

**Chapter 7- Icy Wrath**

**Mirkwood Forest  
June 1**

**Early Morning**

****

Jeremie lay on his back on the lush grass in the valley under the stars, gazing at them with interest as they twinkled and shone brightly in the dark, vast sky. A cool wind blew now and then, cooling him down as the warm Spring continued to roll by. The sound of a river flowing behind him, nearly hidden with the growth of the forest, echoed its watery song towards him. Jeremie smiled and closed his eyes, taking in the orchestra of the sounds of nature, breathing deeply the clean and crisp air. His thoughts drifted over to how peaceful the forest seemed, compared to the hustle and bustle of being in the town. When Jeremie opened his eyes to gaze at the stars, he instead found two emerald eyes, framed by light pink hair, softly glowing in the moonlight. Her eyes shone with curiosity and a slight amusement that Jeremie could not help but notice.

"Can I show you something?" she asked gently, straightening up.

"Sure… may I ask what is it?" Jeremie replied, getting up onto his feet.

Aelita gave no reply, but lead him into the forest, the sound of the river growing louder with every step they took. She led him past the dark and intimidating trees to a place where the trees lessened, and the opened sky was lit up with the moonlight. Jeremie followed the moonlight's rays to the river, and saw with astonishment that it was really a large waterfall, the water cascading and tumbling down to the rocks below. Jeremie smiled, and continued watching the waterfall as it continued to feed the river below it.

"'Tis a lovely sight, Aelita" he murmured, sitting down by the riverside and letting his bare feet touch the water.  
"'Tis not all... I found how to do this one day…" Aelita replied back, drawing Watercress out of its sheath, the blade softly glowing a blue hue, much like what it was named after.

Aelita dipped the blade's tip into the water, and Jeremie watched, perplexed, about what he was supposed to be seeing. Aelita then drew the blade up slowly the water coming up from the river to continue making contact with the blade. Jeremie watched, amazed, as Aelita pulled the blade up, the water following it. Aelita then held the blade still in the air, the water quivering in a small ball it had made, before she moved the blade across the air, the water moving along with it. Soon, however, some of the water stayed in place to make some wording. Jeremie's hand soon went to his own blade, he too pulled it out, the blade softly glowing red.

Without warning, the water soon turned into a spiral, the spiral growing larger and thinner, beautifully reflecting the moonlight in ways one could never have imagined. A similar spiral of flame came out from Jeremie's blade, and both spirals encircled around each other, like a spiral staircase of some sort. Both of them watched in amazement, but then both the fire and water created a ring around both of them, but it didn't harm them. Aelita slid her hands into Jeremie's hands, and both of them blushed at her sudden gesture of love.

"Methinks that the fire and water think we're a perfect match, being complete opposites, and all"  
"Methinks so too… It's a beau-" Jeremie was cut off by Aelita giving a small peck to his cheek, immediately blushing afterward. "But… but… m'lady doth shines brighter than the moon at its peak."  
"Aww…. That's so sweet, Jeremie" Aelita said, smiling serenely as both the elements encircling them slowly faded away into their respective blades.

Jeremie grinned, but could not say anything for the time being, the most he could get out was random babbles and incomprehensible language. Aelita nodded, and left Jeremie to his own devices, slowly retreating into the dark of the forest, the last thing Jeremie seeing before he lay down to sleep was her hair as the soft glow slowly recessed into the darkness as well. When Aelita came back a few moments later, she found him deeply asleep, curled up for warmth. Aelita slowly took off the cloak she was wearing, and put it on Jeremie. It was good that both Odd and Ulrich were gone and that Yumi was asleep, otherwise they would have laughed at the romanticism both Jeremie and Aelita showed. Jeremie smiled without knowing it, and his hand slowly took hold of the cloak, lightly clutching it with his hand. Aelita nodded, and proceeded to scale a tall tree on the outskirts of the forest, closely watching for any signs of a disturbance or of people approaching, fighting off the lull of sleep to keep her occupied in the moments where there was no activity in the area.

**Morning**

Aelita's ears picked up the sound of a horse returning from the West. Instantly, her hand flew to her bow, and she notched an arrow, glaring at the place where the sound was coming from. She could not risk anything, even if it was a trader, or a passerby. Anyone was a suspect, as there were forces on the lookout for them. Two figures on a horse soon emerged, and Aelita, recognizing their faces even with the hoods of their cloaks on, lowered her bow, and watched as both Ulrich and Odd returned from town. Both Odd and Ulrich entered into the forest moments later, still warily looking about to see if they had been followed.

"How did your mission go?" Aelita called from the treetop.

"Well…we managed to rouse some of the villagers secretly to battle without our identities being wholly revealed to Xavier's forces. Some were very reluctant to go to war though… They will meet us in Digitropolis in a few days!" Ulrich called back, after finding where her location was in the treetops. "We also have news for squire Jeremie, although he may not like it at all."

"Well, it's good that it's mostly good news, then. Prepare for combat. We're going to Digitropolis with the cover of night."

"You got it, Princess" Odd replied, unfazed by the prospect of battling.

"Right, so we best pack up the camp" Ulrich said, immediately running into the camp to get some food.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Odd said, running after Ulrich to try to beat him to it.

Aelita chuckled, and leaned against the tree, closing her eyes and trying to go to sleep, as her watch over the camp was over, and the others could resume watching in her place for the next several hours. However, her attempts were thwarted by the sounds of Ulrich and Odd fighting each other over a piece of what they deemed to be the best out of all the other pieces of food in the bag. Sighing, she opened her eyes, and found a branch that was a little taller than half her height. She carefully bent it several times and tested its suppleness, finding it satisfactory to meet her standards. She then started shaving away at the bark with her blade, and gradually started making it into a bow. As she worked, the fighting between the two hungry warriors lessened, and they shared it, carefully watching the other to make sure that he didn't stead their portion. When she was finished, she tried finding something to act as the stringy item between the ends of the bow, but failed to find something. Giving up, she decided to make arrows and weapons for the group by after picking out some branches on the tree.

Odd climbed up the tree Aelita was in, and growled at Ulrich as he approached, clutching his prized morsel of food protectively. Ulrich walked by, sighing and commenting that Odd was way too paranoid. Odd watched Ulrich until he was sure it was safe, and climbed up to the top of the tree, eating the rest of the bread item before fully scaling the tree. Odd picked up the freshly carved bow and turned it over, looking at it from all angles before fiddling around in his pockets, and pulling some strong out to tie at the ends of the bow.

"Cute bow Princess… can I have it?" he asked, playing around with it.

"Sure" Aelita responded, shrugging and giving him one of the arrows in her quiver. "I was going to make bows for the group, but I don't have string to tie the ends… so I'm just making arrows and spears"

"Well… I got a piece of string…" Odd said, showing her the bow with the string on it.

"Well, is it flexible enough?" she questioned, looking at the string he held in his gloved hands.

Odd pulled back the string and tightened it, then letting it go. The bow string sang softly like a swallow, and the note filled the air, satisfying both of them. Odd took her arrow and notched the bow, testing out both components of the weapon before relieving the bow of its tension by firing the arrow dead on a tree nearby, piercing the trunk with its sharp point. Odd leaned back onto the tree, soaking in the moment with his pride of doing well. It was fortunate, actually, that he had found that piece of string. It was quite easy to sneak that token from the smiths, as they were too busy making fun of him, as they still had thought he was still wiping tables for a living. It was a good piece of string, weather and water resistant and quite flexible too- perfect for a bow- whenever he would get one.

"You seem to be a natural." Aelita commented.

"Well sure! I'm Odd the Great! I can do anything!"  
"Sure, Odd, but you're going to have to make your own arrows, the ones in the quiver are mine."  
"Awww…." Odd groaned, thinking of the difficult task for him.

"It's not that hard. Come on, I'll show you."

**Late Afternoon**

**Lord Xavier's Castle**

"Your Lordship, we have searched high and low throughout the land, and we have not found a trace of the target and her companions." A small and withered man nervously proclaimed to Lord Xavier, flinching as he gave a growl. "But, but sire! One of our spies spotted one of her companions going throughout the main village and talking to people in a secret manner! This could be fatal for you!"

"Indeed it could. These acquaintances of hers are becoming quite a bother to my purposes. Search through Lyokonis again- she can't go far without her ties to her parents!"

"But sire! We have searched all of Lyokonis- your forces are practically everywhere! She would have been spotted quickly!"  
"Then go through all the neighboring lands-burn every village to force them out of- wait… no… We have bait right here- use them, but make sure our little surprise is put in place."  
"Yes, your lordship" the man affirmed before unsteadily rising to his feet and leaving towards the prison cells.

He went through winding corridors and long chambers before he met a large iron door, guarded by several patrolling knights in armor with gigantic axes, honed and sharpened to give it a more threatening look. They guards stopped once they spotted the servant, and scrutinized his identity with cold, calculating eyes. With a nod, they stepped aside to let him pass, the giant iron door emitting a loud creak as it receded into the walls. The man quickly walked though the prison chamber, determined not to look at the looks of hatred sent his way by the common prisoners. The man finally came to a stop at the corridor, and nearly breathed a sigh of relief that he had reached the door so quickly.

His first stop was Waldo-his cell was located the farthest from him. The servant pulled out a set of keys and began unlocking the iron door that served as a battier. He quickly braced to what might happen when the door had fully unlocked. Although both Waldo and his wife were not given food or drink for days, it was a possibility that they still had an animal strength, pushed on by instinct and the hatred that was coursing in their veins against Lord Xavier. What troubled him was that there were no chains restraining him at the moment, as a clumsy servant forgot to put it on him. What he saw instead of a king weakened by the lack of nutrients, he saw him practically flying out of the cell and attacking him. The servant shouted in surprise, and tried to block King Waldo's attacks, but was unable to until the guards rushed in and restrained him by holding him against the wall.

The servant panted, still exhausted from the encounter with Waldo, and unlocked Antea's cell door once they had reached it, but they saw nothing inside but the gray bricks that made up the cell and the chains haphazardly lying on the floor. One of the guards cautiously went in through the entrance, axe at the ready, but encountered nothing as he stepped through the doorway. However, just as he was starting to get relaxed around for his settings, Antea, who had somehow broken the links of the chains on her wrists and ankles, leapt out of her hiding place near the doorway, and pounced on the guard from behind with a primal yell, both of them hitting the ground a short while later. The guard rolled over from his prone position, and tried to get up, but Antea knocked him down again with a half-tackle and started hitting him with powerful punches. Waldo, suddenly inspired by this fighting spirit, gave the guards who were holding them some trouble. He knew that Xavier must have wanted them alive now, otherwise the soldiers would have hacked him into pieces already.

It was only over when more reinforcements came, who had heard the large amount of noise coming down from their side of the corridor, snapping chains and locks onto the royal pair to restrain them. They lead a still fighting Antea out, her fists covered with a red liquid that was from the soldier she ambushed, and dragged both her and her husband to the core chamber. Antea had stopped fighting only when she was exhausted of her strength she reserved while she was starved, but she, as well as Waldo, still sent death glares at the soldiers. The soldiers returned looks that were supposed to be neutral, but their eyes told that they were secretly afraid of them. Both Waldo and Antea did not know what was happening, but their instincts kept telling them to struggle, to survive by all means necessary, even if it meant playing along with Xavier's game for a while.

**Mirkwood Forest**

The small group scaled the waterfall, their weapons slung onto their backs over their respective cloaks, in order to protect them from the waterfall's downward rush. They would have gone around the waterfall, had it not been for the black shapes Ulrich had pointed out that looked eerily similar to their pursuers a few days ago. Odd had pointed out that there was no other way than going up the waterfall, and the group agreed after Jeremie found a place in the waterfall in which they could climb easier. Some of them had difficulties coming up, and needed the assistance of the others in order for all of them to finally climb to the top of the waterfall. All five of them sat on the banks, and admired the view they had for miles and miles, before settling down to quickly eat their midday meal.

They had to move fast throughout Lyokonis, there were more and more of these black-cloaked figures roaming around now, and they had to get to the neighboring country, Digitropolis, before any of the figures or Lord Xavier knew that they were coming for a battle. They would have gone into the other neighboring countries, had it not been Jeremie, who had stated that Xavier's influence had spread far and wide, unfortunately, and there were a number of scouts and spies that might have infiltrated the neighboring towns. In the towns and villages where they were not part of your homeland, you did not know who to trust, not even the villagers and the townspeople that seemed friendly and acted kindly towards you. In those places, you could only survive by having a healthy dose of skepticism around you, and silently question everything and everyone in the town as you observe your surroundings.

Aelita called Jeremie over, and both of them discussed things, while flitting their eyes back at the rest of the group, as if fearing that they would pick up on their conversation. The band of warriors soon packed up and began walking along the waterfall, nervously looking at the fast flow of the water beside their feet. Jeremie, who had gone over Lyokonis on performing deeds for his mentor knight, and thus knew most of Lyokonis by heart. However, after hearing that Xavier had executed most of Lyokonis's cavalry in his fear, including his mentor, it made him feel angry. His mentor knight did not treat him thaobadly, he treated him decently almost, although he did get a little intoxicated after having too much ale. Putting what his mentor had taught him to work; he now proudly displayed his talents and ability to figure out where in Lyokonis they were. Jeremie lead them confidently through the growth on the outskirts of the forest, but stopped when he saw that they had to go across the waterfall to proceed to Digitropolis. Jeremie took a step back in hesitation, bumping into the group behind him, who wondered why he had stopped before seeing what the problem was. This river divided Lyokonis into half, and it wasn't a gentle flowing river, not even if it was far away from the waterfall area.

Gulping at the lack of their fortune, they tried to have a safe voyage across by tossing a vine across the river to secure against a sturdy tree branch or rock. After multiple failures, they managed to secure the vine, and they warily proceeded, going on one side of the vine for balance and support while crossing. One by one, the warriors filed across on the left side of the vine, struggling against the waterfall's pull on the water. First Odd, then Ulrich and then Yumi made it across, and were now resting on the riverbank to catch their breath. However, while Jeremie was going across, the vine, being stressed to its limit, snapped in two areas- the place near his hand and at the place they had first secured the vine to- Jeremie getting swept away in the fast current.

"Jeremie!" They yelled at once, terrified at the sight.

Without a second thought, Aelita dove in after him, in fear of losing the boy who had stolen her heart, yelling his name and swimming with the current to his location. The others tried to dive in after her, but Aelita stopped them by shouting at them to not come after her. Jeremie, his head barely above the water, spat out the river water constantly, gasping for breath as he floundered about in the current, hardly able to swim. His blade was weighing him down, and Jeremie could not dislodge the leather strap that held the blade's sheath to his back. Aelita swam to him, and held him in her arm, reassuring him so that he would not struggle and waste his energy anymore.

Grunting with the effort and struggling with the current's pull and the added weight, she managed to pull her blade out to stick it into the river's rocky ground. However, she had lessened her hold in the process, and Jeremie was slipping away, a look of pure horror etched across his face. Aelita, feeling him beginning to slip through her arm, eventually starting to be pulled away from her as she tried to save him, had an expression of pure anger on her face, which was caused by the thought that she would lose him forever if she did not do something at the moment. With a roar, a blue aura in the shape of a fire slowly encased her being, and she let out a roar.

"No!" she shouted, slamming her blade's tip into the ground, the blade also glowing with the same blue fire also.

Her intent was to have a secure footing to reach out to him, but instead, a white substance flowed through the water, and the water started slowing down. The white stuff also reached Jeremie, and he too, started slowing down also before he was secured in one spot. Aelita looked in surprise as the blade emitted ice that came from nowhere, and momentarily stopped the river flow. Normally, ice on a river would flow down without stopping, but since Aelita had embedded her blade into the ground deeply, the bottom of the river was frozen also. Jeremie slammed his arm down on the area around him, and freed himself from the ice's cold grip. Aelita pulled him up all the way after she removed her blade from the ice, the aura around her and he blade disappearing as they waited to catch their breath for a moment on the ice.

A loud crunching sound broke the momentary peace, and pieces of smaller ice began to dislodge from the mass of ice, as the river started to break the ice with the waterfall's pull. Panicking now, both Jeremie and Aelita slid on the ice to the opposite side, large cracks forming behind them as more ice began to drift downwards to be destroyed by the rocks on the bottom of the waterfall. Jeremie and Aelita ran to the side where the warriors intended to go just as the ice fully crumbled behind them. Jeremie's breathing was ragged, and he was shivering all over. The rest of the group rushed over once they had spotted them on the bank, and they lent both of them dryer cloaks, which they gratefully took as they continued on, shaking the water off of them as they continued on, Jeremie sneezing at intervals.

"Boy Jeremie, did you have us worried!" Odd piped up.

"Yeah, Jer, we thought we were doomed to have Odd declare himself as the leader if you were gone." Ulrich added.

"Hmph." Odd stated, glaring invisible daggers at Ulrich.

"Well Princess, were you gutsy today" Yumi stated nonchalantly.

"… and this is why I don't wear long dresses outside. They're too troublesome." Aelita affirmed.

All five of the warriors continued down to the path to Digitropolis before they saw something that made them stop. It was the dark-hooded warriors, and they were tacking signs all over the place, a poor but still recognizable illustration of both the King and Queen. Under the illustrations was a caption that made all five look at each other. All of them shared the same worried look, but only Aelita and Jeremie held something else- an expression of somber understanding of what is happening. Aelita began to go forward to the dark-hooded warriors, Jeremie watching her go sadly, as she had told him what to do should this happen, while the others tried to stop her.

"I'm sorry, guys" Aelita whispered before turning around to face them.

She gave no further explanation, and without warning, she gave three quick jabs to Ulrich Odd and Yumi's pressure points. All three of them slowly fell unconscious, both Aelita and Jeremie lowering them to the ground so that they would not get hurt. Aelita gave a sad look to Jeremie and the unconscious three, before stepping out of the clearing to meet with the black-cloaked warriors as Jeremie looked on with a depressed expression, not interfering with her mission, as it was on her strict orders that he didn't interfere. Aelita didn't turn around or look back, in order not to give the other warriors' position away. And Jeremie almost yelled in rage at Xavier as he saw his love willingly go with the dark warriors to protect them from capture so that there will still be a hope for the future.

-(-)-

The little Jerlita scene in the river? Well… think of both the fire and water encircling each other like DNA strands (without the bars in between them), then forming like a chain. I was probably thinking of the DNA parts each complimenting each other, and the magnetic polarities of magnetic items, as well as the yin-yang thing for fire and water. Cliffhanger! Hanging from a cliff! …and that's why it's called cliffhanger!


End file.
